2014 NAFA Meet Lubbock, Texas
By Chair Krys Langevin & Co-Chair Brandi Nickerson
Once again NAFA returns to the wild, wild, west and the great state of Texas. However, this time around we are heading 90 minutes south of our traditional host city, to the heart of jack rabbit country – the great city of Lubbock. Time to dig out those thick, black glasses, skinny jeans, and sport the timeless bouffant hair-dos, we’re visiting the birth place of Buddy Holly!
This was not an easy decision or simply for the sake of change, it was made entirely with a mind on the availability of quarry. Reports from Amarillo indicate traditional game populations have been particularly hard hit by the ongoing drought that affects the Midwest. Reports from falconers and wildlife biologists suggest Lubbock game populations are in much better shape.
Plans are already in full swing. Hotel contracts are signed, dinner menus are being finalized, raffles donations are being sought, sponsorship for nightly hors d'oeuvres, and the most important aspect of any Meet – access to land and game – is moving forward in high gear. Lucky for us former SE NAFA Director Michael Beran is leading the land acquisition efforts for the Meet. Those familiar with Lubbock know it to be the home of Texas Tech University and lots of wide open space, negotiations are underway to gain access to large tracts of land owned by Texas Tech and the City of Lubbock.
The remaining information pertains to the meet hotel, regulations, weathering yard rules, raffle coordination, registration, and other important meet details. Also, something else I am very pleased to have been given permission to try, a Field Meet Facebook page and Twitter account. Please like and follow us on Facebook and later on Twitter, ask questions, make suggestions, or just say hi. Otherwise, if anyone needs to reach out to us in more traditional methods I can be reached at frootdog@yahoo.com or 817-528-9743 and Brandi can be reached at brandi7777@yahoo.com or 940-507-0333.
2014 Annual NAFA Field Meet
Dates: November 23-28, 2014
Hotel: MCM Eleganté Hotel and Suites
801 Ave Q
Lubbock, Texas 79401
http://mcmelegantelubbock.com
Room rates: $79/night/room or $139/night/suite.
(Price includes breakfast for up to 4 people per day per room.)
Meet Details: For the most current Meet information please refer to
http://www.n-a-f-a.com/Meets.htm or the NAFA Field Meet Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/2014NAFAMeet
Cancellation Policy: Full amount of the registration fee will be refunded if written cancellation notice is received no later than November 2nd. After this date, refunds will not be possible. (Written notification must be via email to brandi7777@yahoo.com or USPS to 7828 Hood St., Fort Worth, TX 76135.).
Reservations: As is customary, MCM Elegante will start accepting reservations on May 1st, 2014. Make your reservations early! At this time we have not negotiated preferred rates at any overflow hotels. We will revisit this if there is a need. To make reservations please call 806-763-1200 or make reservations online at a special NAFA attendees only page setup by the MCM Elegante for our group. Go to: http://www.reseze.net/cassets/mkt/mc...NAFA_Meet.html
Thanksgiving Dinner: There will be a Thanksgiving dinner provided by the hotel. This is something they already do every year and it is far cheaper than any “private” event we could hope to organize. The cost is $14.95 per person and there is no need to RSVP therefore it is not included on the preregistration form.
Hunting Information: Visiting and hunting in Texas is simple. No import permits or health certificates are required for your hunting partners. All you will need is an out of state hunting permit; $48 for a 5 day permit or $315 for the whole year – available at any location that sells hunting licenses. Endorsements or stamps you may need depend on your target quarry – Upland Game ($7) and Migratory Bird ($7). (Don’t forget a Federal Duck Stamp if you don’t already have yours.)
Non-Resident Trapping: For those interested in trapping while attending the NAFA meet, there are occasionally Harris’s hawks found in and around Lubbock. A two hour drive south to the Midland/Odessa area will yield larger populations for those who may be interested in trapping or watching Harris’s in their natural element. Prairie falcons and merlins are also found in and around Lubbock. The permit application can be found at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/business...life/falconry/ . The fee is $378. Please give Texas Parks and Wildlife plenty of advanced notice if you intend to go trapping so they can issue you the appropriate permit.
Weathering Yard: The first call I made as Meet Chair was to Rich Borquist to make sure he and his team would again handle this very important responsibility. Rich and his team are ultimately responsible for the safely of all our birds while in the yard. Rich, Brandon Borquist, and Mario Nickerson will again be handling weathering yard duties. If you have any questions Rich can be reached at lowachi@hotmail.com or 309-369-4293. Mario can be reached at dirthawking@yahoo.com or 817-751-5775.
Please remember, the Yard Warden has final authority on everything as it relates to the weathering yard. The yard rules are as follows
No tid-bitting or feeding is allowed in or near the weathering yard. Perches should not be taller than the height of the bird Birds need to be tied short, i.e. fit within a 4' X 4' (16sq. ft.) area. No dogs allowed in the weathering yard (or at the gate entry area.) No Loitering in the yard (please keep story telling in the yard to a minimum) No photography inside the yard. (There are exceptions, and may require an escort. Please inquire at the gate).All transmitters must be turned off in the yard. (We will periodically sweep the yard and turn off any we find) The Yard Warden has final authority.
From Rich: To add the above, because this is not a covered yard, nor is your bird the only bird there, the following rules have been added:
a) No "fishing tackle" (coastal locks, etc.) allowed past micro sized raptors.
b) No threaded links, spring clips, split rings allowed.
c) Portable perches must be anchored.
d) Take-apart perches: birds must be tied to the spike/anchored to the spot.
These add-ons have all come about due to incidents in the past. Though none of them caused a death or permanent loss, their failures did result in escapes and/or an injury to other's birds and have been banned from the NAFA weathering yard. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to ask me (Rich) or my crew. We try our best to check every bird's gear as they come into the yard the first time. We will be checking gear every day, throughout the day while your birds are in our care.
Please remember, the wardens have the final say.
Last year NAFA enacted a system of fines and rental fees and those are as follows…
Equipment rental and late fees in the weathering yard:
At the complete discretion of the Weathering Yard Wardens… Perches may be rented for $10 the first day, $15 the second day with a two day maximum. Late fees for leaving your bird out past yard hours is $20 per occurrence.
Raffle Coordinator: I am pleased to announce that Michelle Anderson will be reprising her role as the NAFA Rafflemeister. Michelle can be reached at dragonflydreams888@hotmail.com or by phone at 651-245-7064. Raffles are held on various nights throughout the week with the prizes getting bigger and better as the week goes on culminating in the grand finale on Friday night. If you have ever wondered how you can help NAFA then here’s your chance. The income from the nightly raffles are key to NAFA’s finances, your raffle donations are imperative and much appreciated. Be creative. Remember, NAFA Meets have become a family event and there are plenty of spouses and kids attending and participating in the nightly raffles, so the items do not always have to be falconry related. If you would like to donate, please drop Michelle a line and ask her what she needs or what you can bring. If you can’t make it to the meet and would like to make a donation, we can help figure out a way to get your donation to the Meet.
Registration Coordinator: For some reason being Meet Co-Chair was not enough and Brandi has volunteered to be the registration coordinator again. Brandi can be reached at brandi7777@yahoo.com or 940-507-0333. There will be multiple opportunities throughout the week to check in and pick up preregistration packets or to register onsite. Those dates and times will be announced online at a later date.
Vendor Coordinator: Along with helping in the weathering yard, Mario Nickerson will be coordinating vending this year. His contact info is dirthawking@yahoo.com or 817-751-5775. The MCM Elegante has 15,000-square-foot meeting space, which features a 7,000-square-foot conference center as its centerpiece. That means there is a lot of room for evening meetings followed by nightly vending. If you are a falconry equipment vendor this is an opportunity to meet and hawk your wares to a collective audience of falconers. To make things easier on vendors we have reserved a block of first floor rooms, close to the vending are, just for vendors. To ensure you are assigned one of these rooms please contact Mario no later than October 1st. This is a first come first serve opportunity for a first floor room. Vending will be open Monday through Thursday with a special vendor raffle and meet and greet on Monday night.
Falconry Concierge (formerly Foreign Liaison): Peter Nolan has become the mainstay when it comes to arranging outings for our visiting guests. We are adding a special section to the new NAFA Field Meet Facebook page for visiting guests to sign up well in advance to ensure we can better arrange to get you out in the field. If you have any questions or special requests Peter can be reached at pnolanponds@gmail.com or 970-388-1667. Peter can arrange hawking parties for just about anyone, foreign guests, locals, and or anyone that wants to just go see something different flown on game. Trapping excursions are also popular activities for guests visiting from places where that don’t have the same luxuries and privileges we are lucky to have here in the US.
Peter is one of a kind, with his Aussie accent (making him hard to understand at times), incredible personality, he is very approachable, hard to miss, and always smiling; he is the perfect person for the position. If you want to take someone out hawking or want to arrange seeing some hawking that is not available in your area give Peter a shout.
Spouse/Family Activities Coordinator: Larissa Nicolle will be leading the charge on this one. Lubbock and the surrounding area have several good choices for family activities such as the Buddy Holly Center, Legacy Play Village, Mackenzie Park and Prairie Dog Town, and the Science Spectrum, a hands-on, interactive science center. If there is interest again, a trip up to Palo Duro Canyon might also be in the offering. It is still very early and still in the planning stages, we will keep everyone updated. If you have any questions or special requests Larissa can be reached at lalamaz@hotmail.com or 214-288-0653.
Last but not least…. ‘There will be Blood III’………..
Blood Drive: Ron Clarke is again organizing the 3rd annual NAFA blood drive. Details are still being worked out on this one, so stay tuned for more updates on “There will be blood 3”. If you have any questions, Ron can be reached at director_at_large_2@n-a-f-a.com or 907-723-6840.
I hope you are all making plans to attend another great Texas NAFA Field Meet. If you have any questions or suggestions I’d love to hear them. Hope to see you all in Lubbock!
Hope to see you all in Lubbock!
Bob
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Originally Posted by Eagle Owl
